Motorino

I have decided to do absolutely nothing this weekend. And it feels quite lovely. Usually I attempt to jam Saturdays and Sundays with activities and food – there’s nothing more I despise than wasted time. But with no particular plans or obligations set in stone by Thursday evening, I decided to simply take it easy.

Sometimes there is simply so much to do in this city that I feel constantly on the cusp of a heart attack. Eat here or there? Croissant or brioche? Pistachio or strawberry gelato? Both? Gelato at Otto or L’arte del Gelato? And then there’s the nit picky issue of madelines and why our oven never seems to function properly. Of course, food aside, there are real life issues to account for, but food is always the first thing to pop in mind.

Yesterday Robyn, Doug and I went out for a low key Friday dinner at Motorino in Williamsburg. I’ve had the worst pizza craving for the last month or so, and the thing is, these cravings only intensify with time. Sometimes I try to wait it out, hoping they simply die away. False hopes, hehe. There was a ten-minute wait for a three top, so we stood out in the unusually warm November air, and did some catching up. Motorino was packed with what I assumed to be hipsters, though Robyn assured me that this was on the gentle end of hipster-ville. I could not help but eye, in odd fascination, at the thin boys in plaid shirts, sunglasses in a dark restaurant, skinny jeans, and thighs that must be half the thickness of my own.We shared a dish of roasted brussel sprouts, which were disappointing to say the least. Mainly due to the fact that they were served at an unpleasant degree which hovered between chilled and room temperature. But then again, after Momofuku’s brussel sprouts, little else can compare.The three pizzas arrived to our table soon after. First: brussel sprouts & speck with fior di latte, and parmigiano. Take a peek at the upskirt here. Next, anchovy, fior di latte, tomato, capers, oregano, and olives.The artichoke, olives, mozzarella di bufala, and tomato pizza was my favourite of the trio – striking a satisfying balance between the warm, briny olives, artichokes and creamy mozzarella melting all over. There must have been a delay between the pizza’s exit from the wood burning oven to its arrival at out table. Slightly cooled. Again, temperature issues. There was little to excuse this, with the oven but twenty feet away. Nonetheless, the topping ratio was spot on, and crust was just lovely with a subtle char and fine balance between crisp and chew.

Service was wonderful, the charming waiters more attentive than necessary, especially for a casual pizza spot. But I’m not to complain, especially because I’m one of those people always in constant need of a water refill.

So, here we are, cheers to Saturday! And a weekend of doing absolutely nothing. Take plans as come, and if they don’t, I’ll tuck into bed with Fuchsia Dunlop’s Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper. And perhaps a plate of Spam, eggs, and fried rice ^_^

Motorino Pizza319 Graham AveBrooklyn, NY 11211(718) 599-8899

Share this:

7 Comments

tamakikat
November 16, 2008

Sorry about deleting my last comment but I thought my mistake with the word ‘chomp’ as in ‘I feel the need to CHOP on something’ was a bit scary:)Here is what I meant to say:As always I feel the need to chomp on something after reading your post. Pizza for lunch perhaps…:)

Isn’t eating homemade comfort food and getting sucked into a great book one of the best ways to spend weekends? Granted, I haven’t done that in a while, but I plan on doing a lot of that during Thanksgiving!

You said the crust was crisp, yet chewy. It looks thick in your photos. . . . do you think it was too thick? ? ? Have you been to Luzzo’s in the East Village? They are my favorite place for pizza in the city, hands down. I also loved your description of hipsters. I simply don’t understand them!